Wireless communication systems generally comprise a set of radios and a set of base stations. The radios, which may be mobile radios, portable radios or the like, are generally the endpoints of a communication path, while base stations are typically stationary intermediates by which a communication path to a radio device is established or maintained. One such type of wireless communication system is a time division multiple access (TDMA) communication system where the radio frequencies are divided into time slots for carrying the communications of the system.
When a radio is transmitting communications, there may be instances when interrupting the transmitting radio may be important. For example, a user of another radio may need to send an urgent or emergency communication using the channel occupied by the transmitting radio. One solution for interrupting a transmitting radio has been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/680,813, in which a method and system for terminating an ongoing transmission is provided. There are numerous instances, however, when only a short control or data message needs to be transmitted. In such a case, it would be desirable to not completely terminate the ongoing transmission.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are not often depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meaning have otherwise been set forth herein.